California Law Takes Aim at Milk Crate Thefts
On September 26, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed Assembly Bill 2289, creating a new law to deter the theft of plastic crates commonly used for bulk transportation of milk products. This legislation places the responsibility for compliance on recycling centers, making it unlawful for a plastics recycler to accept plastic milk crates for recycling unless they are accompanied by proof of ownership.
Milk crates are frequently stolen from the docks and back doors of grocery and retail stores where they are stored for pickup. It is believed that stolen crates are taken to a plastics recycler, where the thieves may be paid 80 cents to a dollar per crate. IDFA has estimated the cost to processors for milk crate losses to be $100 million annually on a nationwide basis.
IDFA supported the efforts of the California Grocers Association, the Dairy Institute of California and other in-state allies to lobby for the bill's passage. The Milk Industry Foundation (MIF) Milk Case Loss Task Force is evaluating the prospects for promoting the new law as a model for other states to follow.
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To review IDFA's chart of 2006 state legislation related to dairy, click here. (.pdf) This new chart will be updated on a periodic basis to provide the status of monitored bills.
For more information, contact the IDFA legislative group at 202-737-4332.
Posted October 16, 2006